[spike]

ok, much to my disappointment i cannot afford to get a set of RA-1s like i wanted to. with everything i have going on right now they are simply too much. so that means i have to buy a set of either victoracers or ecsta V700s for track duty.
my questions are: which tire should last the longest (as in how many track day should i get out of them before they're toast)? if they have similar wear characteristics, which would you choose and why? does anyone have any help ful comments on the break-away traits of these tires? are they progrssive and audible or are you shooting for the ditch the second you push them too hard? thanks in advance for the help.

BTW- the tires will be full tread and heat cycled. should i do this myself or pay tirerack to do it for me?

 

[ZXmurph]

ya know, it's nearly impossible to generalize how many track days you can get out of tires. I used to say, but then my experience has shown that people and cars are tremendously different on tires.....so it's all speculation.

that said, independent of available size issues, the Victoracer seems to be the more durable of the two. the V700 was developed to be a lighter and grippier attempt to emulate a Hoosier AS, and should absolutely NOT be run at full tread depth on a road course. I have had a number of friends, and aquaintences write a set off in one weekend because of overheating.

I personally haven't run both the Victoracer AND V700 on the same car to comment, but opinions are all over the place in my region at least. Generally the V700 may be the quicker tire, but may be more fragile and one can certainly expect shorter "peak" life. It also seems that the tires "feel" different enough for there to be a personal preference for one or the other's response.

I have tons of experience with the Victoracer and have found it a great balance of ultimate grip with accessable limits,and good progressivity up to that envelope.......but keep in mind, if you don't have a lot of experience with this level of grip, take it easy, turn it up slow, and realize at the higher speeds allowed by such grip....ANY aspect of car handling dynamics takes on a new intensity that requires a lot of respect.

As far as heat cycling, it really depends if it is convenient to do it yourself........as it really amounts to just taking the fresh set for a 30 minutes "normal" (freeway+ the neighborhood etc. at street speeds) drive, then ideally dismounted the wheels and not using them in anger for 2 to 3 days.....that's it, so save a few bucks if ya' can. They basically offer it to make it realistic for a competitor that needs to use a tire the second it's off the truck.

 

[spike]

hmmm, plot thickens. i called vilven tire and was quoted $125 shipped for unshaved 205/50/15 hankooks. i guess i'll be the test subject for these tires as i don't think anyone here has tried them yet. i wonder how they'll wear compared to the kumhos or toyos?

 

[belacyrf]

Spike, your a test for the focus: but these tires have already been run a bit, and have had some pretty good reviews.

Here's a nice one to read:
http://www.specmiata.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000052

I think the hankooks are an awesome deal!!

 

[garyk]

i have run victo racers and the k8a and k6a esctas. the k6a is a really good alternative to the very expensive hoosiers. i have mine heat cycled and shaved to 4/32. with proper alignment the k6a's look like they will be almost as durable as the k8a's. with care i could run about ten sprint races on my victo's on my itb car, about as long as the old team t/a's. i use tire softner as the tires get older which works nicely. used very carefully you could probably get a full race season out of these, with "schicktness" progressively going away. i would not use victo's anymore given the excellent handling of the new compound (k6a). for rains i just got 712 kuhmo's 205/40/17 for 56 bucks apiece from tire rack. for the record my dry tires are 205/40/17's and run 155 apiece heat cycled and shaved. equivilent hoosiers, the only tire close in specs, run over 200 apiece. the pirelli's etal are all over 230 and are not as sticky. stvf #47

 

[Auto-X-ZTS]

Dont know much about V700s, but I ran Victoracers on my SpecRX7 and they wore exceptionally well and evenly and were very consistant. I got 3-4 complete race weekends (qual/qual/race) out of a set.

Also, I would at least get them shaved a little bit--like take off 2/32nds--as they will last longer believe it or not.

 

[spike]

Spike, your a test for the focus: but these tires have already been run a bit, and have had some pretty good reviews.

Here's a nice one to read:
http://www.specmiata.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000052

I think the hankooks are an awesome deal!!

didn't you order you tires from vilven? how long did it take for them to be shipped to your door?

 

[belacyrf]

Yea I ordered mine from Vilven, they were here in about 3-4 days. It was very fast! If they have them in stock, you get them really fast. I definately like dealing with them.

 

[spike]

3-4 days!?!?!
[mr.burns]
excellent...
[/mr.burns]

 

[schnack]

I too have no experience with the V700s. But I would say the victoracer is a good track day tire, a reasonably good driver on these tires should have the ability to reel in 5 liters, WRXs, ITRs, and the like...I have

The victoracers are nice because they talk to you, I would say there are almost three different stages of grip...When you are at the end of the second phase of grip, hold on or correct your steering/throttle input because they will run away from you.

Alignment, specifically negative camber is a BIG issue. To ensure long life, have about 2 degrees on negative camber on the front tires...without it, the shoulder will become very chunky, longevity will decrease.

Depending on how far away you live from the track, you could even drive them there. I have driven victoracers on the freeway and had no problems.

My tires lasted almost one full season of autocross, (15 events) plus an Evolution Per. Driving school (25 runs), two track days, and some highway driving.

With an tire, too much heat is a bad thing. Thankfully most the track days I go too only allow 20 minute or less for session times....don't stay out on the track for longer periods of time then this....tires will sizzle! Have them cool off....they will last a lot longer.. amibent temp. is good around 200 degrees. If you can't leave your hand planted on top of a hot tire, they are too hot....

 

[garyk]

spike i use tire rack and have the tires w/in three days. i have been very happy with them. i have ten track days on the set of v700 k8a compound (about ten hours time, plus a few thousand street miles.) and they have plenty of life left. do follow the advice about shaving, they last much longer.

 

[rheacer]

I've run both on the Mustang (3190 lbs with driver) and like the feedback they give. They both talk to you before they let go on a road course (Roebling turn 6-7 comes to mind). Same for the Contour and Focus on autoX courses. The Ecsta offer the advantage, they can be reversed on rim as they wear down--not to cord, but where you might want to look for a new set. AutoX seems rougher on tires than roadcourses, but I've used a set all season (4-5 SOLO I's and 3-4 autoX's). Did have an issue with 2 sets splitting from sidewall to sidewall 3 years ago. I've got a set of Ecsta 16's in the garage that have lasted 2 years, 7 autoX's and a track day at Nashville. Still have tread left.

 

[JaySD]

spike those are the only size the new Hankook R compound is available in right now. The rest of us are being forced to wait for the release of the others sometime here in August.

I am waiting for 215/40/16 as most of the other SVT's

 

[spike]

vilven shipped out my tires today so i should get them by monday or tuesday. then i'll get them mounted and heat cycle them on the highway. after that is the long wait until the next track day to try them out.

 

[BUR_ZX3]

You gonna be there on Sept 26th?

 

[spike]

You gonna be there on Sept 26th?

nothing short of amputation is going to prevent me from going. and even then i might consider it.

 

[BUR_ZX3]

I'll be runnin on the Pirelli Pzero Neros that I just ordered... they're intended to be street tires.... but since I can't afford race rubber just yet